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Michael Florio reviews bullpens that have changed, closers you can add off the waiver wire and relief pitchers who are useful for fantasy baseball heading into Week 8.
The more things change the more they stay the same. Rumor has it that when Bon Jovi wrote that song he was referencing bullpens in the 2022 MLB season.
Bullpens have changed throughout this season. Some have been for small periods of time when the primary closer is hurt, while some have given us absolutely no reason to trust them whatsoever. Still, desperate times call for desperate measures for some fantasy managers - meaning you may have to take a flier on an unpredictable situation.
Additionally, with June about to hit, we are getting closer to the trade deadline, meaning we could soon see trades happening that are sure to shake up bullpens. In the coming weeks we still monitor that closely and give speculative arms you can stash incase of trades. But for now, just regular bullpen moves are keeping us busy!
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Changing Bullpens for Fantasy Baseball
The Mariners bullpen is sure to change after sending the struggling Drew Steckenrider down to Triple-A. He not only started the year as the Mariners closer but he led the team in saves last year. Paul Sewald picked up the Mariners only save in the past two weeks and should be viewed as the favorite to get save chances, at least for the time being. The Mariners have shown that they like to save him for high leverage situations, but with Diego Castillo struggling this year and Andres Munoz not pitching well as of late, they may not have a choice. But it is worth noting that Ken Giles has started a rehab assignment and could be back soon. Now is a great time to stash Giles if he is on the waiver wire.
The Cardinals came into the year with Giovanny Gallegos as their closer but Ryan Helsley has pushed the envelop by being the most dominant reliever in the sport this season. In the past two weeks they each have two saves. In that span Helsley has pitched to a 1.50 ERA, 3.48 xFIP, 1.00 WHIP and a 29 percent strikeout rate, compared to 1.59 ERA, 0.78 xFIP, 0.88 WHIP and a 50 percent strikeout rate. Gallegos has looked like his dominant self again but Helsley has clearly earned more trust as well. While Gallegos has the leg up for saves right now, both should be rostered in all fantasy leagues.
The Yankees had to make a change after Aroldis Chapman was injured, but Clay Holmes is trying his best ot Wally Pipp the flame throwing lefty. On the year Holmes has pitched to a 0.36 ERA, 1.74 xFIP, 0.69 WHIP with a 0.77 SIERA and a 29 percent strikeout rate. Every number is significantly better than Chapman. While the expectation should be that Chapman takes back his gig when healthy, the leash has certainly been shortened and we could see these two become a committee. If Chapman struggles we could see a full time switch. Both are worth rostering now and until this situation clears up.
The Twins bullpen isn’t necessarily changing, but we just need to accept that this is a full blown committee at this point between Emilio Pagan and Jhoan Duran. On the year Pagan has seven saves to Duran’s four and in the past two weeks they each have two. The expectation moving forward is that both of these relievers will get save chances and that both should be rostered and started in fantasy.
Speculative Save Situations for Fantasy Baseball
The Marlins had one save all year and it went to Cole Sulser over the weekend against the Braves. It was starting to look like he would be the closer to trust here, but then he came in in the seventh inning on Monday and was shelled. It occurred in Coors Field so he gets a pass, but the usage, him being brought in in the seventh inning is worrisome. Sulser remains the best bet, at least as for now, but this is a very murky situation and one that is likely best left avoided.
The Rays have been a fluid, yet frustrating, situation for fantasy players to try and figure out. Over the weekend we say J.P. Feyereisen pick up his first save of the season. They also have Colin Poche, who has picked up two saves in the past two weeks. Feyereisen has been the more effective of the duo, but Poche has received the opportunities. Both are worth rostering in deeper Roto leagues, with . Another arm to take note of here is Jason Adam, who has been an awesome source of ratio and strikeouts, but not received a save chance recently.
The Red Sox remains an ever changing situation when it comes to the ninth inning. In the past two weeks, Matt Barnes is the only Boston reliever to pick up a save. They still have Hansel Robles, Matt Strahm and Jake Diekman who can also factor into the save chances here. Barnes is the top option but it is very fluid. This is a situation to avoid in anything but deeper Roto leagues.
The Reds remain the most unpredictable situation in the sport. We saw Art Warren pick up a save over the weekend, only to get completely shelled his next time out. In the last two weeks, Warren and Tony Santillan have two saves each, while Hunter Strickland and Alexis Diaz each have one. Yeah, its been a fantasy nightmare. Warren and Santillan remain the top options here, with Strickland more of a deep league option. Still, this is a situation to avoid unless you are truly desperate for saves.
Elite Strikeouts and Ratios for Fantasy Baseball
Tanner Houck was a starter that I was excited for coming into the year, but the Red Sox have opted to use him as a multi-inning reliever, coming in after a starter. In the last two weeks he has come in three games, throwing nine innings, showing you that he can give around starter workload despite coming from the pen. He has pitched to a 0.00 ERA, 3.08 xFIP, 1.00 WHIP with a 27 percent strikeout rate in that span. He is useful, especially over fringe starters in deeper Roto leagues.
Eli Morgan has thrown 6.1 innings in the past two weeks, pitching to a 0.00 ERA, 2.02 xFIP, 0.71 SIERA, with a 0.00 WHIP and 50 percent strikeout rate. Those are as elite as the ratios and strikeouts can get. It is a small sample size, but he has been pitching great and can be a useful piece in deeper fantasy leagues.
Devin Williams remains a useful fantasy piece regardless if he is getting save chances or not. In the past two weeks he has pitched to a 0.00 ERA, 1.18 xFIP, 0.61 SIERA with a 0.27 WHIP and a 42 percent strikeout rate. He also remains next in line for saves behind Josh Hader in Milwaukee. He is a top reliever option who does not get saves.
A.J. Minter has pitched to a 0.00 ERA, 1.97 xFIP, 1.54 SIERA with a 0.81 WHIP and a 39 percent strikeout rate in the month of May. He may never get save chances as the Braves have a number of different options, but he can provide strikeouts and ratios for those in need in deeper Roto leagues.
Make sure to follow Michael on Twitter, @MichaelFFlorio.
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